1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk loading device for disk player, which is small in size and simple in construction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A disk player has a disk loading device, which performs a series of operations from transferring a disk to a playback position till completion of the playback preparations with the disk clamped between a turntable and a clamper.
A prior art disk loading device is disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 63-23261. The disclosed disk loading device comprises a rockably reciprocable arm and a biasing spring held in contact with pins provided at the opposite ends of the arm. When the arm is rocked in either forward or reverse direction, it receives resistance offered by the spring until it reaches a dead point, but as soon as the dead point is exceeded it is quickly brought to the end position by the elastic force of the spring.
When inserting a disk, the edge thereof pushes one of the pins until the arm exceeds the dead point. Subsequently the other pin pushes the disk up to the playback position. When taking out the disk, the arm is rocked in the reverse direction until it exceeds the dead point. Subsequently, the other pin pushes back the disk.
Disk transfer operation is performed in relation to the upward and downward movements of a chuck member (clamp) so that the chuck member moves downward when the disk is transferred to the playback position thereby to clamp the disk in association with the turntable.
The disk loading device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 63-23261, however, has a drawback that it is difficult to accurately position the disk, which is clamped between the two pins on the rockably reciprocable arm, at the playback position. This is so because it is necessary to set the distance between the two pins to be greater than the distance permitting the clamping of the disk for it is necessary that the pins be held spaced apart form the disk during playback.
Unless the disk is accurately positioned at the playback position, the disk can not be clamped between the turntable and a chuck (i.e., clamper). Besides, in this case the chuck may cause damage to the recording area of the disk when it is lowered.
An object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a disk loading device for a disk player, which can accurately position a disk at the playback position for reliably clamping of the disk between the turntable and the clamper and eliminate the possibility of damage to the disk, as well as being small in size and simple in construction.